MCMH offers ImPACT for athletes

The Montgomery County Memorial Hospital has a new program in place for the entire school year to benefit county athletes: Sports Medicine and Performance.
This program is one component of the Population Health Department which is working to keep children safe and to promote activities to combat obesity, diabetes, and other diseases.
Part of this program is a tool called ImPACT testing. (Immediate Post concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing)
According to Kim Roberts, Rehabilitation Director at MCMH, this is a neurocognitive test that looks at different aspects of how our brain works.
“It looks at reaction time, different aspects of our memory, working memory, attention span, and our problem solving abilities,” Roberts said. “It is not an intelligence test.
“It provides a base-line testing for our athlete population so that if they were to sustain a concussion, the test could be repeated and we can compare the results to the base-line test.”
Roberts explained that the disappearance of symptoms from a concussion (i.e. headache, vision problems) does not mean the brain has healed completely.
“If someone does not allow the brain to heal adequately before they return to activity and they sustain another concussion on top of that, outcomes can become more dangerous,” Roberts said.
They could have second impact syndrome and longer lasting affects.
For the high school level, the recommendation is for student athletes to get tested every other year to re-establish the baseline.
MCMH has the ImPACT test available and validated for those 12 years old and older.
ImPACT is an international program that has FDA approval, and the hospital is working with the Red Oak schools on implementation.
“Having a tool that can help with making safe return to play decisions is a benefit for athletes,” Roberts said.
The Red Oak school district has implemented a school policy that all high school athletes must get a baseline test done before playing a sport and to complete a post-test following a concussion. That information is sent to the student’s health care provider who ultimately makes the return play decision.
MCMH is working with other schools in the county to establish the availability of the baseline testing for the districts.
“The testing after a concussion is not the sole determining factor in their return to play; but it is a tool that provides objective information to help make that decision,” Roberts said.
Sports Medicine and Performance has more to offer than concussion management.
According to Nikki Rengstorf, director of Population Health, the hospital is offering education and CPR training for coaches, as well as other components for the safety and health of the children.
“This is not specifically a sports performance program in itself,” Rengstorf said. “Although it will enhance performance through it’s comprehensive components. It is designed to keep students safe.”
MCMH is offering a $1,000 contribution to be used for safety purposes to each committed school participating in the program.